Chargers picked to finish sixth in G-MAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll

After two seasons in the basement of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, the Hillsdale College women's basketball team made a big leap up in the standings in 2021-22 under second-year coach Charlie Averkamp.

The Chargers went from 10^th to seventh and finished one win shy of a winning season and a spot in the G-MAC Tournament, a nine win improvement on the previous season.

In 2022-23, the Chargers look to continue that forward progress, making it back to the G-MAC Tourney and moving closer to title contention.

The G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll predicts them to do just that, putting the Chargers in sixth, just one point behind fifth place Cedarville.

Defending G-MAC regular season champion Ashland leads the poll with 12 first place votes, with Kentucky Wesleyan in second place and G-MAC Tournament champion Walsh in third. You can see the full poll below.

Hillsdale should be well positioned to meet or exceed those expectations with all five starters returning from last season's squad, as well as its top two players off the bench.

The top returners for the Chargers are seniors Grace Touchette and Sydney Mills, both All-G-MAC players last season. Touchette led the Chargers on scoring and was a dark-horse G-MAC Player of the Year candidate midway through 2021-22 before injuries limited her down the stretch. Now fully healthy, she'll be one of the conference's top players.

Mills, meanwhile, has led the G-MAC in rebounding for the past two seasons and has a lethal inside-outside game that will only continue to get better.

Along with those two returners, Hillsdale also brings back the G-MAC Freshman of the Year in point guard Peighton Nelson. A gifted passer and tenacious defender, Nelson became more of a factor offensively as the year went on and could be poised for a breakout season in 2022-23.

The Chargers have a strong returning supporting cast. Senior Arianna Sysum is one of the top defenders in the G-MAC and a useful player all-around, while junior Dani Salenbien enters her third season as a contributor and has a versatile, stat-sheet filling game that allows her to contribute in multiple ways. Senior Maverick Delp adds depth in the post and brings energy off the bench.

Hillsdale is especially excited by a rising group of sophomores who should play a bigger role in 2021-22. Carly Callahan and Caitlin Splain each had big games for the Chargers off the bench as freshmen last season and should be even bigger factors in 2022-23 with a year under their belt. Additionally, after a year of development, Kendall McCormick may be ready to contend for a bigger role as well.

Added to the mix of this strong, nine-player rotation is a 6-2 center with the potential to transform the way the Chargers play and push them into the upper echelon of the G-MAC. Ashley Konkle transferred to Hillsdale last season from Western Michigan, but sat out the entire year with an injury.

Now healthy, Konkle looks poised to give the Chargers something they haven't had since Allie Dittmer graduated in 2018 – a skilled two-way center with the size, athleticism and polished low-post game to match up with any post player in the league.

If the Chargers can integrate Konkle successfully, stay healthy, and get continued growth from its young players, the team could flirt with the program's first 20-win season since 2008-09 – but it won't be easy in a tough conference that includes a likely top five team in the nation in Ashland. As Hillsdale looks to move up in the standings, the margin for error is slim, and the Chargers will need to do what they can to stay on track against tough competition throughout the season.

Hillsdale opens the season at home, hosting a four-team G-MAC/GLVC crossover event on Saturday, Nov. 12 and Sunday, Nov. 13 with games against Truman State and Quincy. You can find the full schedule for the 2022-23 season here, and purchase tickets at hillsdale.universitytickets.com.

2022-23 G-MAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll